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Sails catch the wind which propels the boat forward
2nd Answereer says:
Previous answerer has been tricked by a trick question:
IN REALITY the wind foils around the the sail and PULLS the boat forward. A sail is nothing more than a vertical wing, providing LIFT. Should you ever have the pleasure to experience a strong puff of wind startling your becalmed craft, you will FEEL the LIFT that is provided. It's a physics thing (Aerodynamics).
3rd Answerer says:
Actually, its a bit of both!
When sailing "with the wind" (i.e. wind coming from straight behind the boat and hitting the sail pretty well square on) the push on the sail is transferred to the mast and boat. There's obviously a little bit of "less air pressure behind the sail" as a result, so there is some kind of "pull" going on too, but not much like this. (Air is too "runny" and will not let a significant area of low pressure form at lower speeds.)
But a triangular sailed boat is pretty clever really because you don't have to sail with the wind mostly behind you - you can sail "across" the wind, and depending on the design of the sail and boat combined can get pretty close up to the point where you start to sail into the wind. Some of this force is just from the "push" from the wind on the sail, and the structure of the boom/mast transfers the push onto the frame of the boat again. But the clever bit is that the shape of the sail does indeed then form a "wing" too, just like you get on an aeroplane, and the air hitting the sail supports the shape. Air flowing around the "front" of it then moves faster than behind it so you get a lower pressure forming in front which in turn "lifts" the boat forward. (Easier to draw than put in words!)
If you sail ("point up") too close the the direction the wind is coming from the sail will start to "luff" as air starts to come around the front of the sail, and pushes the front of it nearest the mast in the other way, spoiling the shape of the aerofoil wing and as a result the speed then drops off pretty sharply!
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TaigaWhen wind blows against a sail, it creates a force that propels the boat forward. This force is harnessed by the sail's shape and angle to generate lift, similar to how an airplane wing works. By adjusting the sail's position, sailors can manipulate the direction and speed of the boat.
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